horror pop video but fantastic all the same.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2003)

This film is one of my faves. It is very fast, slick and clever. Boyle said he wanted to get a "ken loach" factor, meaning he wanted great human characters as well as gung-ho action scenes. I think he did this AND still managed to leave us with hundreds of un-answered questions. Just how much of the world has been affected? what will the authorities do when the survivors are picked up? why did the 'infected' co-operate in packs but not attack each other? why did the 'infected' become nocturnal? Why in a city that has been panic-evacuated is the only traffic blockage in a tunnel? If you can suspend yourself long enough to get past these questions and relax into the film you will have a very entertaining time. Hi points include the shopping montage and the first empty walk through london. I also loved the little touches, like the lime pit full of half decomposed bodies, the 9/11 reference in the notice boards covered in 'have you seen....' letters and the fact that the signal to the jet at the end said "Hello", rather than the obvious and cliched "Help" (they didn't need any)

And the fight scenes were nothing to sneeze at either. clever violence that can still make a jaded film addict like me flinch is only to be applauded.
watch this film with an open mind and just imagine if you were directly involved in its events......